Diagnosing Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be rather difficult because it is hard to distinguish it from other forms of depression. Before doctors can do diagnoses on a patient, typically they will have to rule out other medical conditions. SAD is not necessarily a separate mood disorder from major depression or bipolar disorder and therefore it can be diagnosed as a subtype of each of these.
Diagnosing seasonal affective disorder correctly depends on whether:
- the patient has experienced depression and other symptoms for a minimum two
consecutive years and during the same season;
- whether or not those periods of depression have been followed by periods without
depression;
- and ruling out other explanations for the changes in their mood
The doctor will do a complete physical examination and will do a thorough medical history on the patient. It is absolutely critical to share your information with the doctor and you must make sure that you are following their recommendations exactly so that you are able to make it through this tough time. Most likely they will ask many questions about your mood, seasonal changes in your thoughts and behavior, your lifestyle and social situation, as well as your sleeping and eating patterns.
As stated earlier...diagnosing SAD is very hard because its symptoms often mimic other types of depression. But rest assured that doctors have guidelines, developed by the American Psychiatric Association, that help them to diagnose the disorder. If you are not sure of your doctor's opinion you most certainly will want to get a second opinion, especially if you do not agree with his diagnoses.
Usually the depressive symptoms of SAD begin during fall or winter, and end when spring arrives. During other months of the year a person's mood might be normal, or will not meet criteria for clinical depression. Those who have SAD will have a have a lack of energy or feel sluggish during the winter months. In addition, they may sleep more than usual, overeat and gain weight, or they may have a craving for carbohydrates. Women have seasonal affective disorder at a rate of 60%-90% of those affected. SAD rates are higher in those who live at higher altitudes and occur more frequently in younger people, often beginning in a person's twenties.
Typically the treatments will vary from patient to patient for seasonal affective disorder. Most people will feel differently when they are going through the disorder and no two cases are alike. Once the doctor has eliminated everything else, only then can they begin the right type of treatment for a patient allowing them get on the right track for a better and more efficient lifestyle.
Seasonal Affective Depression Disorder
While Seasonal Affective Disorder mildly impacts twenty-five percent of the population, it seriously impacts another five percent of the population. This is a form of natural depression, which normally starts in Sept but peaks in Jan and Feb. It's easily brushed aside and overlooked. It's also difficult to diagnose, and may in reality be as hard to diagnose as fibromyalgia and ADD (attention deficit disorder) both are. This is because while some folks might acquire the wintertime blues, and some folks feel sluggish, people with SAD in reality have a debilitating disorder.
While some people who suffer from this only have a modest, temporary feeling of helplessness, which is a very modest form of natural depression, other people may have an extremely severe case. Numerous studies have demonstrated that 1 out of every ten people actually have some type of SAD. As is true with clinical depression, occasionally people who have been diagnosed with SAD actually commit suicide. SAD may even advance into other types of depressive disorder. A few of these other forms include manic depression and schizophrenia.
Some of the symptoms of include feeling sluggish, catching some Z's for more than ten hours a day and yet still feeling fatigued, and migraines which may get rather severe and normally peak once there are drops in barometrical pressure.
There have been studies done to demonstrate that those folks who are depressed are actually more prone to extreme alterations in temperature. Some researchers have pronounced that this was because of a lower level of electrolytes, salts, and other all-important minerals in the body and brain. Among these minerals is potassium. It has been shown that having a depleted level of potassium will produce a severe headache. Two additional significant elements are Vitamin D and exposure to the sun, or at the very least, to ultraviolet lighting. A lot of doctors really think that as there's minor sun exposure during the wintertime, which means that an individual has a lower level of Vitamin D, they can actually get SAD.
It does not matter what age you are, you could still get it. However, it's interesting to observe that SAD is uncommon in childhood and that it commonly impacts more women than men. As a matter of fact, it normally happens in women who are 35-years-old or older.
If you have evidence that you or a loved one has symptoms, then it's strongly recommended for you to get medical care. It could merely comprise a chemical instability, which an easy alteration in your diet could easily fix. This condition can also be offset by skin treatments, skin peels, and trips to the health spa. Yet, this condition might also be more severe. This is why you ought to never let this condition go. There's zero sense in suffering through it. There have been many modern medical advancements that enable those who suffer from SAD to be treated effectively, thus greatly bettering their quality of life.
For those who are diagnosed with SAD, light therapy is frequently suggested. Normally an individual requires to be in the light for thirty to sixty minutes every day with their eyes open, only not directly focusing on the light. It has been recommended that the best time for this therapy is in the morning. It will take a few weeks for the full effect of the treatment to happen. However, some betterment ought to be noticed inside one week. There are also a few medications available. These are selective serotonin reputake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Both Rickie Smith & James Hunaban are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Rickie Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Adware, Children and Forex Trading Forex. For more information about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) visit our comprehensive website at "Budget Tools & Strategies for Overcoming Seasonal Af. Rickie Smith's top article generates over 22200 views. Bookmark Rickie Smith to your Favourites.
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